A car travels 180 miles on 6 gallons of gas. What is the car's miles-per-gallon (mpg) rating?

• A. 15 mpg
• B. 30 mpg
• C. 40 mpg
• D. 180 mpg

Answer: (B)

Miles-per-gallon tells you how far you can drive on one gallon of fuel. To find it, divide the distance by the fuel used: 180 miles divided by 6 gallons equals 30 miles per gallon. So the car gets 30 mpg, meaning it can travel about 30 miles for each gallon of gas. If you tested other values, 15 mpg would mean needing 12 gallons for 180 miles, 40 mpg would mean about 4.5 gallons, and 180 mpg would mean only 1 gallon, for the same 180 miles. The actual figures show the car is getting 30 miles per gallon.